Dance

Pushing the parameters of what is jovially known amongst us music journalists as ‘festival season’ lies Boundary Brighton. Boasting an impressive line-up for its inaugural year, this one-day dance music extravaganza definitely made its mark. Exhibiting an impressive list of DJ’s and acts across four stages, the festival collaborated with clubs and venues across Brighton alongside party innovators Elrow, music publication Mixmag and the infamous LWE to curate something pretty brilliant to witness.

The main stage combined one of Brighton’s most beloved venues, Concorde, with the go-to publication for all things clubbing and dance music; Mixmag. Artists such as Bondax and Groove Armada (DJ set) took to the stage, as well as the energetic Gentleman's Dub Club, a delightful surprise, whose combination of ska and dubstep, suited appearance and Yorkshire accents over reggae vocals, brought an incredible live show. A DJ set by Wilkinson closed the stage down with an immense stamina and an energetic collection of tunes.

Notorious party-starters Elrow teamed up with Brighton’s The Arch – formerly known as Digital – to create a colourful psychedelic stage. If you haven't yet heard of Elrow, that's about to change, as the Barcelonian party enthusiasts have been putting on nights left right and centre; most notably the Ibiza classic Space. The Vibrant tent hosted the likes of Solardo, Seth Troxler, and Richy Ahmed all cocooned in a tent trying to be Woodstock, yet sounding pretty far from it.

One of London’s biggest underground events organisers LWE teamed up with Brighton club Patterns; still relatively new on the club scene since the death of Audio not too long ago (may it rest in peace) and I must say, whoever had the idea to build a fake London Warehouse as the set up for an inside stage was a genius. Entering the ‘building’ transported you into a club-like arena, where the likes of Jackmaster, Joy Orbison wowed the crowd, as well as sets from Patterns residents themselves. Last but not least, Boundary also set it’s very own bandstand. The smallest stage but still able to attract a crowd, the masked man Jaguar Skills played a hit-heavy set, albeit sounding a little rusty.

The man of the hour award definitely goes to Craig David and his new DJ project TS5. After the build up of one of the biggest revivals in garage history, Craig David’s comeback is definitely going strong. Though rumours of TS5 being a little rusty are still floating around, by the time the headliner hit the stage you could tell he’s cleaned up his act and his setlist was selectively fine tuned to please everyone from the 90’s kids in the crowd to old school garage fanatics. Being a fan as I am, I must say I’m probably a little biased but listening to Fill Me In and Seven Days live was enough to complete my summer of festivalling and if the attitude of my fellow punters in that crowd was anything to go by, I’m guessing they’d agree with me.

Craig David/ TS5 headlining the main stage.

This being said you can tell Boundary is still finding its feet. Though it’s had some great ideas and, in my opinion, had a pretty successful launch, it could do with a few tweaks. There’s no specific wristband system so punters are let in with no chance of re-entry if they leave, which would be fine if it didn’t make for a very confusing entry, there are no maps or clear labels as to which stage is which and punters have to check paper set times to make sure they catch who they want to see, It’s also pretty small. Though it held a 20,000 capacity, the festival site felt similar to a village fete making the four stages feel pretty squashed together. Nevertheless, in a way, this worked as a positive, as it promised big, energetic yet friendly crowds for each stage.

The acts themselves put on a great show, but with the renowned names on the bill and the brand of Brighton nightlife surpassing the name of the festival itself, this is hardly surprising. Though despite each stage’s own collaboration, all the music did feel a bit samey, samey. DJ’s and dance music aren’t always all too different and you come to appreciate the skills of each act you see, as well as their ability to captivate a crowd, but maybe next year it would be good to focus on a specific subgenre for each stage instead of mixing it up across the board. Do this, and Boundary could quite possibly become the next dance/club pilgrimage of the summer.

Not long now til we, you and a stellar line up of the biggest bands in the world head to the coast in Spain for the 22nd edition of FIB Benicàssim.

The amazing 2016 line up is now complete and includes exclusive shows from some of the biggest and best names in rock, pop, electronica, hip hop, indie and beyond.

Your only chance in Spain this summer to see very special festival headline shows from Muse and The Chemical Brothers, to witness the biggest rap act in the world right now, Kendrick Lamar live, to dance to the massive hits of Disclosure and Major Lazer or to check out the legendary Massive Attack.

Beyond these, there’s the some of the greatest new acts around like The 1975 & Catfish And The Bottlemen, indie tunesmiths like TheVaccines and the Maccabees, the best in electronica from Jamie XX, John Talabot (Dj Set) and more. Pop? Jess Glynne. Grime? Skepta

Best Kept Secret, the food and music lovers dream festival that takes place in Hilvarenbeek each year has finally released their full Line Up, with Daphni, PalbomenII and Joost van Bellen making their appearance on dj stage FOUR.

These are additions to an already overwhelming Line Up. Headliners Beck, Editors and Jamie XX will be joined by an array of different genres of artists, hailing from all continents. Two Door Cinema Club, Wilco, Mount Kimbe, Beach Slang, Yeasayer, Band Of Horses, Bloc Party, Fat White Family and many more will be taking the five stages at Beekse Bergen Safari Park over the weekender. We can't wait to see what the fourth installment of the festival has to offer, see you in June!

Miami, FL – USA (December 17, 2015) With just three months until it touches down at Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami, Ultra Worldwide’s flagship event ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL announces the electrifying Phase One lineup for its eighteenth annual edition, taking place on March 18, 19 and 20, 2016.

The grand master of EDM and savage stage production is back with its phase one line up. Miami Ultra 2016 displays some of the best in electronic dance and house music there is to offer. Miami Music week which leads up to absolute madness contained within downtown Miami, running from Tuesday the 15th of March to the early hours of Monday the 21st of March. With Miami Ultra Festival firmly placed as the grand finale starting on Friday the 18th of March.

This coming year The Prodigy are set to headline and no doubt rock an unforgettable and truly unmissable set, as well as the return of the Australian Drum & Bass getup Pendulum also currently known in recent years as Knife Party. Often credited for the global popularisation of the genre, fans can expect to witness a raw, high-octane live experience. The Ultra regular but always exciting return of Carl Cox after his final year of Space residency in Ibiza. showcasing his decades of DJ experience to his immersive Carl Cox arena and 12th year at Ultra Miami. The main stage at Ultra, which is broadcast round the world through UMF TV carries with it the faces of Avicii and Hardwell. Two names that bring energy, excitement and new music hurtling into everyones summer to come.

No one can deny Armin Van Buuren and Tiesto’s live performances and links with production quality have bought so many people to tears as they stand side by side, with people they have only just met in a crowd 50 thousand strong. The Bedroom DJ Martin Garrix has gone from strength to strength since his first appearance on the MainStage back in 2014 and will bring with him the love and admiration of his fans, that will no doubt give goosebumps those lucky enough to be attending Miami Music Weeks Ultra Festival 2016.

Afro Jack, the Giant of EDM music is hitting the main stage this coming 2016. With his continued success in 2015 and collaborative efforts with David Guetta, Niki Minaj a set from this music machine is not to be missed.

As ever, ULTRA will also be welcoming a huge array of the finest, most in-demand DJs on the planet. Headlining the festival across a broad selection of stages this March will be previously mentioned Afrojack, Armin Van Buuren, Avicii, Knife Party, Tiësto, Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Carl Cox. as well as David Guetta, Dubfire, Eric Prydz, Jamie Jones, Kaskade, Kygo, Loco Dice, Maceo Plex, Marco Carola, Seth Troxler, DJ Snake, and Zedd.

In a momentous nod to the festival’s very roots, the headline act for ULTRA’s very first edition, which took place on the sands of Miami Beach in 1999, will also be returning for their landmark reunion. None other than Rabbit In The Moon will be showcasing their visionary interpretation of psychedelic trance, house and breaks, as Ultranauts young and old prepare to witness a true slice of history.

Having made its Miami debut at the 2015 edition of Ultra Music Festival to critical acclaim, the RESISTANCE stage will be returning to Downtown Miami this March, bigger and better than ever before. After welcoming ‘The Afterburner’ in 2015, the 2016 RESISTANCE stage will transform into an entirely different beast dubbed ‘THE SPIDER’. Once again powered by UK Production Company Arcadia Spectacular, the 50 ton, 20m tall Spider structure is constructed from fully recycled materials and shoots flames up to 50 feet in the air while requiring an incredible 45 people to operate it!

Ultranauts will also witness an extra spectacle each day with the ‘Arcadia Landing Show’. A brand new addition to RESISTANCE this year, The Landing Show will see the Spider come to life, elevating the energy across the area to peak euphoria. Uniting a stunning range of creative elements and all the Spider's special effects, the show features interactive aerial performances, abductions, mechanical mayhem and breathtaking pyrotechnics as the Spider makes first contact. For further information on RESISTANCE watch the new trailer here and head to resistancemusic.com

Ultra Music Festival takes place during Miami Music Week and is an 18+ event. As Easter falls on the usual dates, next year’s edition will take place on March 18, 19 and 20, 2016. General Admission and VIP tickets are currently on sale priced at $324.95 and $1,249.95 respectively. Early Bird and Payment Plan tickets have now sold out so act fast to avoid disappointment. For further details and ticket information, head to ultramusicfestival.com

Have you heard of Nozstock before? I wouldn't blame you if you haven't. This modest 5000 capacity festival, aptly sub-headed 'The Hidden Valley' is hidden deep within the Herefordshire countryside- near the Hamlet of Bromyard. Now in it's Seventeenth year, Nozstock has established itself a dedicated fanbase of locals, and those from increasingly further afield. Each year has a theme, and this year's- A Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy, saw the site lovingly decorated in everything space. The theming did stop there though, with space related workshops and activities for the younger members of families and the audience, those tired from listening to music could retreat to any of the activities area to participate in Jetpack making, building spaceships, rockets, blacksmithing, to the vaguely advertised 'Space crafting' (at the Enchanted Glade 17:00 Sunday).

In my now seemingly traditional festival journey, a gruelling 8 hour drive down to Bromyard at lunchtime had me pitching my tent in darkness, in the hammering rain, undeterred from enjoying ourselves, we set off to explore the site and listen to some music.

Nozstock festival has an intriguing demographic, due to it's diverse acts -as you will hopefully read throughout this writeup- and as the night draws on, the crowd grows wilder, heading down to the COPPICE, BULLPEN, and CUBICLES stages, all dedicated to different styles of Dance, Electro, Dub, 2 Step, Hip-Hop, Garage, Basscore and Drum 'n' Bass. Admittedly, upon arrival; and without any prior knowledge of the festival I was worried that my only dance move 'Big fish, Little fish, Cardboard box' wouldn't last me throughout the weekend and I would be ousted as an impostor of dance and electro music. Much to my relief, the friendly crowds didn't catch on.

Heading to the Orchard Stage for NEVILLE STAPLE BAND's headline set, we caught a jam packed performance full of crowd skanking in the mud, churning up the sodden floor, kicking the first night of music off with a energetic and tight performance. It has to be noted however- that this festival breaks the tradition of curfew by 11, or half past, with headline sets on the mainstage starting as late as 23:45, with smaller bands playing throughout the site to as late as 2:40, before music stopping around 3:30. The site however is fantastically laid out with sound from each stage not spilling over into over crowds, and bearing in mind that it only takes 10 minutes to complete a circuit of the site, this is a seemingly impossible but well realised feat.

SATURDAY

We kicked off Saturday with HIPICAT, winners of the 'Gigslutz PlayNoz 2015' competition, who brought the new day in with easy to process (for those hungover) Psychedellic rock. Luckily the rain for Saturday had abated, and throughout the day, the churned mess in front of the stage dried out enough to sit down and enjoy the weather. As mentioned earlier, before around 8pm the day had a completely different vibe to the night time, becoming more diverse musically, and more appealing to families with younger children. South African loop pedal artist, JEREMY LOOPS wowed the afternoon crowd with multilayered tunes consisting of massive harmonies, beatboxing, harmonicas and guitar arrangements that have taken him around the world, picking up bits of culturally diverse sounds and mashing them up into a impressive set.

It has to be said about the hospitality of the NozStock press team, which was second to none. Instantly upon arrival, Damo and Nolly were on hand to answer any questions about the site or anything else, and organising a press picnic on Saturday was the icing on the cake. ROZELLE treated an unfortunately modest crowd to an expertly crafted set of Indie Rock tunes, and personally I thought they would have been better suited to a later slot than they were given, or been allocated a place on one of the bigger stages at a similar time. As the evening grew cold, back on the Orchard Stage SKINNY LISTER kept the crowd warm with their pub folk tunes, rallying mass dance offs, swaying, and mass cheers to a highly energetic set.

As are most festivals, NozStock is not just limited to stages for music, with the Wrong Directions Cinema Tent providing short and feature length films throughout the day, the Laughing Stock stage promoting comedy, and Bantam of the Opera & Velveteen Valley offering magic, theatre and late night cabaret to indulge in. Saturday's comedy headline came from Seann Walsh, who through his blend of current topics, anecdotes about living with his girlfriend and stand up comebacks gave the audience 40 minutes of non-stop laughter.

WU-TANG CLAN's set was flawless, apart from the fact that they didn't actually show up. Pulling out of the festival late last week, they had yet to provide a reason for this late and very unprofessional cancellation by Saturday. The disappointment throughout the crowd was noted, with expletives slamming Wu-Tang's to be found scrawled on toilets around the site. Fortunately DE LA SOUL was on hand to provide a heavy and incredibly well received set, expertly encouraging crowd response, easily drawing the biggest crowd of the weekend.

SUNDAY

The clouds burst early Sunday morning, turning the just dried ground back into a sloshy mess. This however didn't dampen spirits, as the crowds were back out in full force come 4pm for TANTZ's high octane Yiddish dance music set. Combining elements of reggae, electro swing, power-klezma, rock, dub and upbeat insanity, Aaran Kent riled the crowd up into a frenzy between -and whilst- on Clarinet duties. TANTZ, despite the miserable weather were able to deliver a hard hitting set that was without fault, and one of my favourite of the day.

The eclectic mixture of artists over the stages was impressive, and NozStock seemingly taking pride in promoting a lot of local and nearby artists, giving the crowds the opportunity to take a punt on many bands that they may not have heard of. This is a great attitude to have when organising a festival, as the promotion of smaller artists is invaluable to those working as musicians.

MR B THE GENTLEMAN RHYMER graced NozStock with two sets on Sunday, one at the Orchard Stage, and a later set on The Bandstand. The well spoken ambassador of rhythmic lyricisms split his catalogue for the event, self notedly playing more of his pop ditties earlier in the day, before giving a more chap-hop set in the evening. MR B's one man quest to 'introduce Hip-hop to the manners of the Queen's English' went down a treat, building a solid rapport with the crowd throughout the duration of his set. We stopped to eat later by the Orchard Stage whilst BROKEN BRASS EMSEMBLE's expertly arranged set of swing tunes drew an active crowd, an act I couldn't have even imagined playing at the same festival as the one I had initially seen upon my arrival on Friday. The brass troupe from Holland would transcend from swing into funk and Hip-hop styling flawlessly, and then come straight back into big band arrangements as though it was nothing, with slick professionalism.

Sunday night drew to a close with Motown legend, MARTHA REEVES AND THE VANDELLAS on the Orchard Stage. Unfortunately getting off to a late and rocky start- Martha Reeves called a abrupt end to her opening number within the first 15 seconds of coming on stage, before complaining to the sound engineers and starting over again. Martha Reeves' voice sounded a bit strained throughout their performance, but held up well regardless. Appealing to an audience of older and younger fans, it's lovely to see that the Motown Veteran's music has crossed the generations and was being sung along to, danced to, and enjoyed by such a diverse audience.

If I had to summarize NozStock 2015 in one word, it would be: Crazy.

Allow me to explain, and since being back for 12 hours (at time of writing) the 2 examples I have used to explain the unprecedented madness of this weekend to friends and family are: Firstly, the penultimate act for me this weekend involved me having to follow a guy dressed as a badger into a small room covered in zigzags where we had to dance to gain access to a secret stage, where I watched a three piece post-rock band who consisted of a Peter Serafinowicz doppelgänger and a mannequin torso on stage. And secondly, whilst out and about I saw a person dressed as a button being chased by a pack of kids with sparkly wooden spoons, attacking him under the command of a woman dressed as what looked like a salt shaker.

This weekend has been fantastic, and I would like to thank the team at NozStock for their hospitality and for such an unexpected experience, which I'd hope to experience again next year!

BBC Radio 1’s dance music maestro Danny Howard has been added to what is already an incredible line up at this year’s We Are FSTVL. The UK tastemaker will bring his own brand of high energy big room house music to Upminster’s ‘Field Of Dreams’ – joining Sunday’s main stage gathering of Steve Angello, Knife Party, Steve Aoki, Amine Edge & DANCE, Heidi, Oliver Heldens and more – plus future talents Philip George, CamelPhat and As I Am also announced.

Currently touring on behalf of his very first brand, Nothing Else Matters, and influencing the listening habits of thousands of fans worldwide across his shows for BBC Radio 1, BPM and Sirius XM, Danny Howard is a bona fide UK dance music lynchpin. Juggling a residency at Pacha, a regular column in DJ Mag and the promotion of his already #1 BBC Radio 1 Dance Anthems compilation, Howard has somehow found time in recent years to produce tracks such as ‘Spire’, ‘MUG’ and ‘Apex’ on Spinnin’ Records, as well as collaborating with the legendary Paul Oakenfold. His production talents show no signs of stopping this year, with his remix of Dr Kucho! & Gregor Salto’s ‘Can’t Stop Playing (Makes Me High)’ being released imminently on Ministry Of Sound.

Also billed on Sunday’s main stage is 21 year old newcomer Philip George – the man behind the huge record ‘Wish You Were Mine’ which peaked at number 2 in the UK chart. On the rise duo CamelPhat are also set to feature on Sunday’s Paravana stage, as well as As I Am who rounds off the latest additions.

Keep an eye out for further news on We Are FSTVL’s 2015 after party at Studio 338 which will be revealed shortly – with plenty more surprises in store before proceedings kick off on Saturday 30th May 2015.

A beacon of bacchanalia in a wonderland of ludicrously good times, our very own church of dance, Temple Island, is set to return with a litany of big guns to add even more passion to Bestival’s Summer of Love. Curated by The Physical Network and now a firm Bestival fixture among over 25 stages, revolutionary soundsystems and psychedelic woodland-based adventures, Temple Island will be taking all-out partying to epic proportions this September 10-13 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight.

A beacon of bacchanalia in a wonderland of ludicrously good times, our very own church of dance, Temple Island, is set to return with a litany of big guns to add even more passion to Bestival’s Summer of Love. Curated by The Physical Network and now a firm Bestival fixture among over 25 stages, revolutionary soundsystems and psychedelic woodland-based adventures, Temple Island will be taking all-out partying to epic proportions this September 10-13 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight.

Bestival’s principal dancer Rob da Bank says: “Bestival people! Man, I am so excited about the centre of our rave universe, Temple Island, and its line-up for 2015. Last year Temple Island, with its tiered stadium party vibe, was non-stop from Thursday till Sunday night, and one of my favourite places to hang out and get lost in my little pockets of downtime!

“This year I’m confident we’ve pulled some mega guests out the bag, from the mighty Hudson Mohawke to the incredible Madlib kicking it off on Thursday, chart botherers Disciples, Philip George and Alex Adair, plus our hardcore Friday night extravaganza, some vintage sounds from Sherwood & Pinch, and new blood Kurupt FM and B Traits, to name but a few. In fact, I can’t see a duff act within 100 decibels of that stage. Tops off, whistles out and get ready to rave… Temple Island-style…”

Temple Island curator and director of The Physical Network, Liam Negus-Fancey says: “This is Temple Island’s third year at Bestival, and this year we’ll be back where we were in 2014, continuing to build on the massive success of the stage. As always our line-up is focused on what the ambassadors want. And this year, Robby and I, and all of Bestival’s ambassadors will be selecting an up-and-coming DJ to join our amazing line-up. So please sign up for this once in a lifetime chance”

Getting it on from the get-go, Thursday will see hip-hop hero Madlib dropping the knowledge, and, transplanted from their Notting Hill Arts Club home, Juicebox presents underground house genius Jonas Rathsman, Ejeca, SG Lewis, Joe Hertz & Juicebox DJs, plus we’ll have a set from firing house duo 99 Souls to boot!

Friday‘s dancefloor spanking action comes from Philip George, producer of chart-smashing hit Wish You Were Mine, with sets from bass explorers Disciples, plus TCTS, Shadow Child and Alex Adair. There might just be a whiff of the old vaporub in the air, too, as World of Rave & Music Mondays Presents: Altern-8, Liquid, Rat Pack, Baby D, Kaotic Chemistry, Slipmatt, Billy Bunter and Uncle Dugs. And we’ll have escapism through live melody, courtesy of Idiot Savant.

Genre-swerving production powerhouse and seasoned floor destroyer Hudson Mohawke heads up Saturday’s DJ business, with sets from drum n bassers DC Breaks and legendary beats purveyor Zinc, who will be performing a very special ‘Trust Me I Was There’ set. Plus there will be appearances from Novelist, Sherwood & Pinch, Klose One, Kurupt FM, Fono Barely Legal and Josey Rebelle.

Rinsing every last drop of love the weekend has to give, Sunday will see Digital Soundboy’s leading lady B.Traits taking things higher with help from Paranoid London, and Moxie. While Hypercolour presents: Dense & Pika, Luke Vibert, Tom Demac, DMX Krew, 2 Bad Mice, A Sagittariun, & Cedric Maison, plus we’ll have house & garage action from David Dabieh.

We’re also giving one up-and-coming DJ the chance to play on one of Bestival’s busiest stages with our momentous Temple Island DJ Competition! All you need to do to win a coveted slot on the stage is upload your finest floor-filling DJ mix (no more than 30 mins) to your Soundcloud/Mixcloud/YouTube channel and submit the link along with your name, age and location at http://bit.ly/BTIDJcomp. Bestival curator Rob da Bank and The Physical Network’s Liam Negus-Fancey will select their favourite 10 mixes, and then our Bestival Ambassadors will vote for the winning mix! An unmissable epicentre of saturnalia, Temple Island will transport you to new and euphoric dimensions of love for the party. Don’t miss it.

And, speaking of parties, we’re delighted to be able to announce that we have three new names to add to The Port’s insane line-up. All part of Annie Mac Presents’ historic Masters & Makers back to back sessions, we’re super-excited that techno genius Daniel Avery will be going up against his Phantasy label boss Erol Alkan, and Radio 1 resident Heidi will take on dancefloor destroyer Tom Trago, guaranteeing next level hands in the air action at our land-locked labour of love.